


like real people do

by BeautifulSoup



Category: Raven Cycle - Maggie Stiefvater
Genre: Fluff, Implied/Referenced Child Abuse, M/M, The Raven King Spoilers
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-04-29
Updated: 2016-04-29
Packaged: 2018-06-05 07:12:15
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,665
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/6694669
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/BeautifulSoup/pseuds/BeautifulSoup
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>***RAVEN KING SPOILERS***</p><p>By shoving this in his father’s face, Adam was making sure Robert Parrish knew that Adam was no longer under his control, not in any way.</p>
            </blockquote>





	like real people do

**Author's Note:**

> I needed to get out my Raven King feels and this happened. So SPOILERS!
> 
> Also first time writing for The Raven Cycle. This fandom has _such talented writers_ so this is a bit nerve-wracking.
> 
> This is set just after chapter 67, before the epilogue.

After everything that had happened, it took Adam a while to settle back to what a normal life was supposed to be. He felt adrift, unsure what to do with himself when he wasn’t cowering from his father, wasn’t chasing dead kings, wasn’t doing the bidding of a magical forest.

He was glad to be back at school.

He wondered how he had ever managed to fit all of those bizarre extracurricular activities into his schedule when he was back to whatever normal was. School, homework, garage, factory, studying. He buckled down, focussed his energies. The fire on his heels may have burned out, but he still wanted what he had always wanted. He just didn’t need to leave Virginia forever to get it, now.

One extracurricular he did want to fit into his schedule was Ronan. It was something he’d never thought about, really. Ronan had been part of his Gansey time, his Glendower time, and Adam couldn’t quite put his finger on when he had stopped being a last resort of interaction when Gansey wasn’t around. Now they had this new, important thing between them that felt so indestructible and so fragile.

Ronan started turning up to school. This surprised everyone from Gansey to Declan to Headmaster Child. When questioned, he would give a one-shouldered shrug, hands deep in his pockets, and mutter something about it being boring with no one to swear at. Adam didn’t believe him. He spent his weekends at the Barns turning it into something brighter, something newer, something more Ronan. He could be doing that all the time, Chainsaw and Opal keeping him company, but instead he chose the suffocation of Aglionby.

Adam was glad of the extra hours of time it gave them together, so he wasn’t going to probe too deeply. He sometimes felt that his thing with Ronan was like cradling a small baby bird to his chest. He knew, somewhere inside himself, that it would grow and grow and spread its wings, but right now it needed protection, and that too much would crush it.

“S’up loser?” Ronan called from where he was lounging against his BMW, watching Adam get out of the Hondayota. He pushed himself up – clearly the lounging had been for Adam’s benefit – and met Adam halfway between their two cars. He held up a fist, and Adam snorted but still bumped his own knuckles against it.

“Wouldn’t you like to know?” He replied, smiling small and teasing as Ronan threw an arm casually round his shoulders.

“Hmm.” Ronan said, drumming his fingers against Adam’s temple. Adam didn’t shrug him off. They walked past Ronan’s BMW on the way to class. “You working tonight?”

“Yeah,” Adam said, “but not till seven.”

Ronan grinned at him, not his usual spiked weapon of a grin, but wicked nonetheless. “Great,” he said, “it’s a date.”

“Oh god.” Adam sighed, but the tug he felt at the corner of his lips betrayed him.

When they found Gansey and Henry, Ronan’s arm still all casual over Adam’s shoulders, Gansey gave Adam a carefully considering look. Adam raised a pale eyebrow, not looking away from Gansey’s eyes. Gansey seemed to find whatever he was looking for and nodded imperceptibly.

“I can’t fucking believe I’ve got to go to fucking _algebra_.” Ronan said, breaking the strange silence that had descended.

“It’ll be useful when you’re trying to figure out how much to sell your imaginary cows for.” Adam nudged him in the side with his elbow.

“I’m not going to sell the cows, dipshit,” Ronan replied, “I’m selling their _milk,_ because it has magical youth-giving properties.”

“I thought it was asses’ milk that was supposed to make you beautiful?” Henry said, looking between them.

“Close enough. This is milk that belongs to an ass.” Gansey quipped, and everything settled as they laughed at Ronan’s expense. Adam smiled up at him, and saw his scowl fracture as his mouth twitched.

“Fuck you all.” Ronan said cheerfully, messing up Adam’s hair before pushing off for class. “See you assholes later.”

***

After school, Ronan was waiting for Adam at his car. Adam stopped in front of him, and waited for him to speak. Ronan kicked the shitbox’s tyre a couple of times with the heel of his boot before taking a breath.

“Where to?” He asked, arms crossed nonchalantly over his chest. Boys streamed around them, shouting and laughing and shoving. Adam looked at Ronan.

“I need to get changed.”

Ronan nodded, jutting his chin out, eyes sweeping over Adam’s uniform.

“Come pick me up in half an hour?” Adam asked, stepping a bit closer, catching Ronan’s eyes. He watched Ronan swallow.

“Sure.” Ronan shoved his hands into his pockets. He raised an eyebrow after a minute or two had passed. “What?”

Adam gestured to his car, smile tugging at his mouth. Ronan was leaning against the driver’s door. “I kind of need to use that door.” He said. Ronan looked behind him and shrugged. After a moment he pushed himself away.

“Catch you.” He said, bumping his shoulder against Adam’s in a deliberate way that would have made anger flare in his chest six months ago, but now just warmed him. Adam got in his car and pulled away.

 

He heard the BMW pull into the St Agnes parking lot as he was putting his shoes on. He jogged downstairs as he pulled his jacket on, and opened the side door that led up to his apartment just as Ronan got out of the car. Ronan slammed the door shut and lounged back against the car, arms crossed over his chest, chin tilted up in defiance aimed at the entire world.

Adam walked over to him slowly, made himself walk slowly because the urge to run to this strange, harsh boy was too frightening. Ronan straightened as he got nearer, and Adam allowed himself to be pleased at that. He only stopped when he was toe-to-toe with Ronan, close enough that it probably looked like they were squaring up for a fight.

“S’up?” Ronan said, this time in a whisper. His face was close, his blue eyes bright in the late afternoon sun. Adam felt his breath on his face and smiled.

“Wouldn’t you like to know?” He asked again, and this close Ronan’s grin was astounding. He felt his stomach fizz. He took another step closer so that his chest was just touching Ronan’s. He felt Ronan’s breath catch.

Out of the corner of his eye he caught a familiar shape in a familiar dusty blue, and his heart stopped in his chest. He watched as his father’s truck turned the corner onto the church’s street, caught his father’s eyes through the glass, saw the truck slow. His father’s jaw was tight behind the wheel.

A gentle touch on his waist drew his attention away, and he looked back at Ronan. His blue eyes were trained on the truck with such ferocity Adam was surprised the engine hadn’t caught fire.

Reaching up, Adam touched Ronan’s cheek with his finger, slid his hand onto his neck. “It’s alright.” He said, and pulled Ronan down into a kiss. He pressed himself flush to Ronan’s body, put all the fleeting glances and touches they’d shared all day into the kiss.

He did not care that his father was watching.

That was a lie.

This was _for_ his father. As he felt Ronan’s arms snake around his waist, he heard the truck’s accelerator being pressed to the floor, and he smiled. He deserved this, all the happiness that this sharp, jagged boy made bubble up inside him. He deserved to be free of the trailer he had suffocated in all his life. He was better than his father’s fists. He didn’t have to fear him anymore.

He wanted his father to know about this. He knew how he would feel about it – horrified, disgusted, terrified his neighbours would find out – but there was nothing he could do about it. Not now, and never again. By shoving this in his father’s face, Adam was making sure Robert Parrish knew that Adam was no longer under his control, not in any way.

He kept kissing Ronan long after his father’s truck was out of earshot. When Adam pulled away slowly, he watched Ronan’s eyelashes flutter against his cheeks. He could feel Ronan’s pulse racing under his thumb, felt his shaky exhale against his cheek, his hands tightening their grip on Adam’s hips.

“Christ.” Ronan breathed, looking at Adam through his lashes. “Give a guy some warning next time, Parrish.” He looked impressed. Adam kissed him again, but whispered a countdown first.

“Come on,” he said, pulling away, hands skating down Ronan’s arms, taking his hands and tugging him forward as Adam stepped back. “I thought you said we had a date.” Ronan snorted and rolled his eyes, but followed.

They went for coffee and sat at a window table. Ronan didn’t offer to pay for Adam’s coffee, which Adam was grateful for, although he did buy an enormous cinnamon bun that he insisted they share ( _“Have half of this, Parrish, it’s fucking massive,”_ ). They talked about Opal and Chainsaw, about Ronan’s plans for the Barns. Ronan gave a filthy laugh when Adam made a sly comment about a boy from school who was sitting in the corner being an asshole to the barista. They talked shit about people from school, students and teachers alike, and kicked each other under the table.

Calla knocked on the window as she passed, pointing to her eyes and then to them. Ronan flipped her the bird, and they saw the laugh burst out from her throat as she walked on, head thrown back.

Adam felt warm. He felt still. He knew he would do anything to keep Ronan laughing like this. He reached forward and took Ronan’s hand, squeezing his fingers briefly before dropping it again.

He was going to conquer the world with this boy at his side.

**Author's Note:**

> This is all because of the "driving your boyfriend's beemer" comment. Obviously Robert Parrish knows Adam and Ronan are A Thing. Adam's lack of reaction told me that he knows his dad knows and he doesn't give a fuck. So I thought... how did Robert find out? Then the mental image of them kissing and knowing he was watching wouldn't let me go.


End file.
